Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-04-26
WILLIAM S. HOLMAN.
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GREAT
DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSE.

He Sets Forth His Views i'm a Character
istic way-The Duties of y Congress-
man Much More Arduous Than Ever
Before-The Labor Question.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, April Is. 1
Judge William s. Holman, of Indiana,
the great objector of the house, ranks
with Kelley and Randall as one of the
oldest members of the next congress. He
served in congress before the war, and he
win probably continue to be a member of the
house for years to come. Judge Holman be-
ieves that it is the duty of members of con-
gress to attend to the wants of their constitu-
ents in person, and his stay in Washington is
necessitated by his business with the depart
ments- had chat with him the other night
in the Hamilton house, in which he talked
freely of the changes in congress during his
experience. said: do you find, judge. that
the duties Of a congressman are more arduous
to day than they were I'm the pastP'
"Yes- indeed; the congressman of to-day
has much more to do than the congressman
before the war, but not more, think, than
the members who legislated Immediately
after the war. The pensions and the bounties
greatly increased the work of congress. Many
formation is asked of congressman than gen.
GRAFTON ago. The advent Of Cleveland to
power gave the Democratic congressman
much more to do in respect to the offices, and
their letters have increased greatly. The
number of Office seeking letters now, how
ever, is not more than one-tbird as large as
during the first year of Clevelands admins
| tration. Most of the posroffices have been
filed, the postal clerks have been appointed,
aud the mail of congressman has fallen off in
consequence. Still each congressman has q
great amount of business which he has to do
for his constituents outside Of the Offices"
"Are not the duties of a congressman to his
| constituents so great as to give him little or
| no time for the study of national subjectsl In
| other words, can congressman I've national
statesman and do his duty to his district at
| the same timel"
| 81 think he can with a fair amount of in
dustry," replied Judge Holman, "and think
| it is necessary that he should do the work of
| his constituents himself and not have it done
| through clerk or private secretary. 1t is
necessary that members of congress should
| come i'll contact with the personnel and the
machinery of the departments in order to
make them efficient legislators. 1t is only by
this contact that the congressman can acquire
| any adequate knowledge of them; and the
fact that his constituents have work for him
| to do before these departments forces him into
| this knowledge. l believe that the senators
know less about the departments and the
| running of the government to day than the
members of the lower house. Their private
secretaries which the government pays for,
do the business for them. They do not come
in contact with the chiefs of divisions as tie
representatives do, and they know less about
the workings of the government machinery.
A congressman has large enough salary to
allow him to employ a stenog1apher for the
r.Nfh lot arc hi,,ly hu -.
do this, hut do not think that the govern
ment should be called upon to pay such ex-
penses for him"
"You are the exponent, judge, of the eco
nomical idea in American po-,.ics, and you
have ranked as such for years in the house.
When did you first begin your advocacy Of
this idea"
81 have had this idea all my life advo-
Gated it in the Indiana legislature and consti-
tutional convention before l came to con-
gress and / have worked for it ever since.
| My theory is that the government should be
run on the closest possible basis, and that the
surplus should be kept at the minimum"
"Do you still think that the government,
taking into consideration its growth and pos
sibilities, is too extravagantly managed!"
ayes; think the tendency is always TO ex-
travagance. In great country ike this the
differences of interests are so great that there
will always be a strong effort from the diff
ferent sections of the country for an increase
of appropriations for their respective sec
tons This will be true even if the surplus is
kept at a minimum Wherever great surplus
exists the tendency to extrav agance is, OF
course, greater. l would have taxes for rev
enue only, and my theory Of the
government is that it is intended
only for the administering of the
laws and the keeping of the peace. When
ever it departs from this it departs from the
original idea of the constitution and tends
tow ard the monarc hical and aristocratic form.
of government of the past. in which the few
were favored at the expense of many. Ii
this do not mean to denounce the giving Of
pensions or the Improvement of harbors
where such improvement has redounded t.
the benefit of a large part of the Union or Of
different states. This is legislation for ths
good of the whole country, and legislation Of
this nature think necessary
ais not the legislation of congress incrcas
ing very rapidlyF ---.e--
ayes; congress cannot now do Justice u
this legislation, and the result will be that tn,
sessions VIII have to be heightened. Thi
win be the case even if all special and loca
legislation is taken away from congress. Th'
subjects OF general legislation increase yearly
Interstate commerce will consume much o
the time of the congress of the near future
The labor question forms ne>. field for dis
cussion. Our national defenses, aud the tele
graphs, ana other momentous subjects ar
sprung upon US every year. and it seems t.
me that the general legislation of congreS
alone will within short time, compel til
house to sit the year round, with, perhaps,
short vacation during a part of July an'
August"
The conversation here turned to the laho
question: and rs to the labor element in poi
tics, Judge Holman said:
Il think the spring elections show that tn
labor element is to be a factor in our politics
II seems to me that the majority of this ele
ment comes from the Democratic party.
is impossible to say what will be its infiuenc
in the future. I hardly think it will form
distinct rarity and a permanent organization
fiy